Free Sleeping Jenny by Aubrie Dionne Page B

I’d sent him into hyperdrive.
    â€œIf it’s too much trouble—”
    â€œApartment thirty-two AA, high-rise five hundred eighty-four, level seventy-eight.”
    I stared. Wake up, Jennifer, and write it down . I needed a piece of paper. Wait. They don’t have paper any more . Panicking, I searched for my miniscreen. I was always losing it, and I bet it cost more than a laptop.
    â€œI have downloaded the coordinates, along with directions to her high-rise, to your miniscreen’s central processor. Code name: Martha.”
    â€œC-7, I don’t know what to say.”
    â€œValex and Len plan to take Pell to the recycling factory today for a school assignment. That would be the most opportune time to leave.”
    Suspicion clouded my thoughts. It all seemed too easy. Maybe Valex and Len were testing me, trying to see what kind of teen I really was. Or what if C-7 wanted me out of the apartment so he could take over the world? “Why are you helping me?”
    â€œI am here to help, Jennifer. It is what I do.” His voice sounded so genuine that it almost broke my heart, like a lost puppy. He had to be telling the truth. Suddenly, I worried about him.
    â€œWhat would Valex and Len do if they knew you helped me?”
    â€œThey would erase my memory and have me reprogrammed.” He said it so matter-of-factly, almost like he didn’t care. “That is why I advise you to remain silent.”
    I ran my fingers across my lips like a zipper. “My mouth is sealed.”
    Robots were way cooler than I thought. At least this one was.
    I pretended to do homework on my miniscreen until Valex rushed into the living room, packing a travel bag with soybean wafers. He looked at me as if I was that lost puppy. For a second, Timmy’s eyes stared through time. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”
    I blinked and Timmy turned back into Valex. “Nah. I have a lot of work to do. These classes are harder than I’m used to.”
    â€œOf course. You’ll catch up. I know you will.” Valex put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently. “Let me know if you need any help.”
    Oh, I already have a stellar tutor . I almost blurted out Maxim’s name and decided against it. “I have someone to call.”
    His eyebrow rose.
    â€œA study partner.”
    â€œWonderful. I’m glad you’re making friends.” He zipped up the backpack, and Exara came to mind. And enemies, too .
    Valex threw me a soybean wafer. “You have our miniscreen numbers if you need to reach us.”
    I pocketed the wafer, thankful for Valex’s laid-back attitude in this case. Maybe he didn’t care about animals as much as I wanted him to, but he did give me the freedom I needed to accept this world. My dad would have ordered me to come with the family and put in some “family time.” Now I wished I’d enjoyed his forced trips more often.
    â€œJenny, are you okay?” Valex had stopped packing and stared at me. My anguish must have shone on my face.
    For a moment, I almost changed my mind. I could use some family time right now. But, I needed answers and this was the only way to get them. I forced a smile. “Yes, I’ll be fine. C-7 will keep me company.”
    Pell ran in and collapsed at my feet. “Jenny, you don’t want to stay with bothead, do you?”
    I patted the top of her head where her perfect black hair parted. It was getting easier to separate her from Timmy. When I thought about it, she looked nothing like him. That was all from me projecting my loss. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Take good notes on your field trip.”
    â€œI will.” Pell jumped up. “I’d like to be a plant manager when I grow up.”
    Most kids I knew wanted to be vets or ballerinas. I had to remind myself animals were extinct. I wondered if they still performed the Nutcracker. It would look